Instructor feature: Yikui (Coy) Gu

Meet Yikui (Coy) Gu, one of this summer’s Pre-College Online instructors teaching Foundations and Interpreting the Figure. Gu was born in Nantong, China, and emigrated to the United States at the age of seven. He currently resides in Philadelphia, balancing teaching with his own creative practice, with work exhibited nationally and internationally. 

 

 

“I enjoy being able to apply my creativity,” Gu states, “and to be presented with challenges that keep me on my feet, intellectually and artistically.” In his recent mixed-media autobiographical series, he layers paint, stock images and everyday objects, using a combination of political, cultural, and domestic imagery.

 

 

Gu’s advice to students and emerging artists is to “do the work, be proactive, take initiative, and maximize the opportunity.” 

Pre-College Online
June 26, 2026